Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-06-01
PICK WICkIAN TERMS.
A PROFESSOR OF BELLES-lETTRES
GIVES A HISTORY OF THEIR USE.
Slang Not 50 Worthy of Unqualified Com
demnstion IS Many People suppose.
How Everyday Idioms Give Scope to
an Inventive Fancy.

7 m
''The everyday idioms Of the English
language commonly called slang are not
50 worthy of unqualified Condemnation as
many prudiSh people suppose, - observed II
professor uf bellies lrItrrS To Il reporter the
, other day.
They have "a direct. figurative signitl-
cance aud give scope L. an inventive
fancy For example. the expression
You make me tired indicates Ia u
shade the feeling of la>Situde inflicted by
q bore. Again, w hat are YOU giving u.s.
is merely a !iguratiVe way of expressing
incredulity. Many sanguinary conflicts
have doubtless been averted by its use. rs
the rugged, Synonymous phrase. You are
lying sir has been known 10 give uifcnse
10 certain eccentric persons Many slang
phrases are the embodiment of a polite
spirit. When YOU art out with the boys
and exhibit i'll metcUrC flashes the slum-
bering hilarity in your nature, TO hc told
that You are intoxicated strikes a senSi-
tive chord in your breast; but to be aC-
costed with What an elegant load yOu
have got brings a smile of assent and sat
isfaction TO your tountenanCe every time
Gentlemen never acknowledge to being
drunk. Ii is a still or Jag they have
on. The word drunk applies only TO
tVamps. They are synonymous terms
Every acute intellect Will recognize this
subtle shade Of meaning.
''Gentlemen of pugilistic proclivities are
very careful i'll their language. They ap-
preciate the modifying effects Of slang
idioms and are particular 10 employ them
in speaking % their encounters. Who
ever heard champion of the ring say
that he gave his antagonist "A black eye
cr a bloody nose, He prefers. i'll "A spirit
nf chiValry. more elegant terms, and viii
say that he closed pepper or tapped the
claret.' II he knocks his opponent down
he will say considerably that he sent him
10 grass. Ii hc gains a victory he will
not injure the feelings of the vanquishe~l
party by hoasting that he thrashed him.
but will pour balm upon his wounds by
stating politely that he done him up
DRAWN STILL FURTHER.
THE parallel between slang phrases
and rugged English continued the pro
fessor. may he drawn still further. No
man is SO devoid of fine feeling as 10
acknowledge that he has pawned an
article. Ii is less shocking 10 hint with a
wink that his uncle has IT, or that it is
in hook, or even that he has hung it up
These expressions exhibit the deed from a
humorous point of view. In all walks of life
we find this same endeavor at polteness
4 thief is called fly man or a crook.
bribe taker is called a 'booiler' and
swindlers are called 'bunco stecrers' and
'sawdust men This is as il should be.
The English language, devoid of its figura-
tive idioms, is simply brutal This ac-
counts for the birth of the word dude
Ii is far more elegant than its synonym,
fool The ruthless small hoy might heSi- .
tate at the latter, but the former he can
shout out at the top Of his lungs whenever
some tritie of humanity may he blown
across his path.
"A slang term that has peculiar signifl- I
canoe is a chippy chaser This is applied tu
the prosecutors of honorable working girls F.
They stand upon the street corners until /
some pretty girls pass by, and then follow .
them block after block. talking in a loud
voice and otherwise annoying them 1t is (
gratifying 10 know that they are generally .
left. This last expression i applicable .
10 those who fail 10 attain the objects of /
their desires. The 'chippy chaser. if sue /
cessful i'll making the Clandestine ac-
quaintance he seeks, and i'll making an |
for some future evening, is,
n ruIt, >lpeu up lflls means, IN un- /
vanished English, that he stands for hour .
after hour at the appointed place awaiting
the arrival of the expected female. proba-
bly, in a violent rain or snow storm, for n /
'chippy chaser never gives up hope. while |
the honest girl is probably sleeping III her
bed
Here again the politeness Of slang
idioms is demonstrated. The SYNONYM OF |
'chippy chaser is the pitiable word idiot
which rs rather an unpleasant sounding
term TO be applied to a young man. The
of this idiom merits the hearty
thanks of the brotherhood.
at is obvious remarked the professor
in conclusion, from the foregoing eXposi-
ton that our slang originates from the
innate delicacy of feeling which is a
of Americans from the
small boy up. The English language,
when plainly spoken, is harsh and jarring
and contains many unpleasant words.
Men of fine feeling naturally express
themselves in n figuratiye, or. 10 be less
scholarly, a Pickwickian sense New
York Mail and Express.